Justin Bieber deposition video clips paint unflattering picture

In video clips from a deposition taken last Thursday in Miami, Justin Bieber at 20 looks like little more than a petulant child — and attention to the clips might be getting under the singer's skin.

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"Love how some people love to twist and justify the horrible action of others. We all have a right to defend ourselves and feel harassed," he tweeted Monday, hours after the tapes started making the rounds.

The clips, culled by TMZ from 4½ hours of deposition footage (related to a paparazzo's lawsuit alleging he was attacked by one of the singer's bodyguards) showcase the pop star's less lovable side, to say the least.

Apparently it's much better getting nothing but love in situations like his surprise acoustic performance Sunday night at manager Scooter Braun's SXSW talent showcase. According to Cosmopolitan, he dedicated a song to Selena Gomez, who was waiting in the wings.

But back to the clips, which TMZ says reflect the pop star's attitude during the whole deposition. Now, depositions aren't known as situations where everyone plays nice, but Bieber takes the hostility so far as to cuss out the court reporter after she apologizes in advance for asking him to speak louder so she can do her job.

He mumbles, she slouches, he rolls his eyes while the adults in the room go back and forth with questions, objections and the like. Seeing how difficult it is for them to make progress with questioning, it's no wonder the thing took 4½ hours.

He invokes "Katie Couric" and "60 Minutes," apparently confusing a deposition with a media interview as he snarks at opposing counsel.

At one point, with one finger wagging, Bieber orders the opposing attorney to back off, back off, back off with questions about Gomez, finally getting up and leaving the room for a break with his own counsel. (The next day, Bieber would hang out with his ex-girlfriend in Texas.)

Bieber also occasionally checks out and appears to doze off, though his counsel told TMZ that he didn't fall asleep.

And then there's the instrumental/detrimental thing.

Asked if mentor Usher was "instrumental" to his career, Bieber replies, "I was discovered on YouTube and I think I was detrimental to my own career."

Well, that may be the literal truth lately, but it's not what he meant, and his attorney quickly corrects "detrimental" to "instrumental," putting a confused look on his client's face.

Reminds us of a 2010 red carpet video in which a younger Biebs didn't know what "under wraps" meant. Perhaps his on-tour schooling left a bit to be desired in the vocabulary department — we're pretty sure Bieber would be lost hanging out with these kids.